PR firms fight for a slice of political pie as parties seek pre-poll image overhaul

With the assembly and the Lok Sabha elections around the corner, top political parties across the country are busy handpicking image management companies to ensure that they connect well with the ordinary voters.

According to sources, the image management companies are considering it as a very lucrative opportunity to get a small part of crores of rupees that are likely to be spent in the process.

A senior Congressman said the agencies had made elaborate preparations with focus on the Lok Sabha elections. It isn't just the big national parties with deep pockets such as the Congress but even smaller parties like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that have been approached by several companies, all pitching their ideas that will apparently make their election campaigns more appealing to the masses.

Big parties like the Congress have been approached by image management companies

Such companies have become more relevant with extensive social media integration by parties' media arms to reach out to the masses.

"These agencies, however, will only be doing the graphic works and making music jingles… that is something one can't expect a big political leader to do. All the other quintessential political inputs will be coming in from the leaders," a senior Congress leader told Mail Today.

Communication wing head of the Congress Ajay Maken denied "rumours" about a top image management firm having already been shortlisted by the Congress. "No agency has been shortlisted. No decision (on this) has been taken. (In fact) the final process hasn't even started yet," he said.

Ajay Maken said the Congress has not yet shortlisted any agencies

Another senior Congress leader said several agencies had approached the party and the process would gain pace after the assembly elections. Asked about its poll preparations, Aam Aadmi Party's Bibhav Kumar said they too had already been approached by several "such agencies" who would pitch their ideas for the campaign.

"We don't have any money to hire such companies for the campaign. We will primarily focus on door-todoor campaigns and our target is to go to each home at least three times before the impending Delhi assembly elections," Kumar said.

Even the BJP, which is generally more professional with its media campaigns, has been busy with a similar process. A senior political observer in the National Capital said: "These agencies are now going to be part of all election campaigns in the future. No one misses the fact that such professionals can convey political messages through jingles, posters and other campaign materials. These are more powerful."

Another key task of these big image management companies is to plan advertisement campaigns. They will have to pick slots, time and space that get the maximum leverage.

Congress to force through Food Bill

By Kay Benedict in New Delhi

As the Monsoon Session nears its conclusion, Congress strategists have decided to pass the Food Security Bill, with or without discussion, if the Opposition parties do not cooperate on the issue. The Centre can extend the session by a week or so or adjourn sine die after passing the Bill amid pandemonium.

With just eight working days left, the Congress is concerned by the dilatory tactics of some parties which publicly support the 'pro-poor' Bill but try to covertly scuttle its passage.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath is trying his best to ensure that the Bill is passed within the next two days.

While its passage was earlier disrupted due to the killings at LoC and the issues related to Telangana and Robert Vadra, Coalgate also returned to stall Parliament in the first two days of this week. The BJP has put the Congress in a spot by saying that if PM Manmohan Singh makes a statement on the missing files related to coal allocation, the House will run. However, government managers are not inclined to oblige the BJP.

Even if the Congress and the Centre accepts the BJP caveat for the sake of the Bill, there is no guarantee that the PM's statement will satisfy them, sources said. As regards the four TDP MPs who have been disrupting the House from day one of the session, the Speaker could suspend them for a day if they persisted with the ruckus, they added.

A senior party leader said: "The government will have no option but to force the Bill if the Opposition is bent on playing politics. We will wait one or two more days to see if reason prevails."

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PR firms fight for a slice of political pie as parties seek pre-poll image overhaul